pack towel

[Nick Gatel]

Relax Bill, no one is critical of you. Most here are looking to minimize weight and focus on multiple use items when possible; while staying warm, dry, and safe.

Most of us have some sort of "heavy" luxury item. If you want a pack towel, by all means get one. Just that a lot of folks here don't use them for the reasons already stated.

Plus Max is gone for a couple months and there is no one to pick on and we need a diversion ;)

— but Max is a good kid and we like him :)

[Jerry Adams]

" there is no one to pick on and we need a diversion…"

let's pick on Myles for posting in the wrong forum

or Nick for not knowing what an infomercial is (I don't believe you by the way, you're just making a joke)

[Dharma Dog]

For wiping water off of me or my my gear, especially the tent, there is nothing better than a ShamWow but one of the coolest products I've found lately has to be Wysi Wipes
http://www.canawipe.com
Super dehydrated 9 X 10 inch cloth wipe that weighs only 1.5 grams.
It re-hydrates with a few drops of water and is washable and re-usable and biodegradable.
These are great for wiping off your face, neck and other unmentionable body parts.

Amazon sells them for around 13.00 for 100 towels.

[Mike W]

I've used an MSR (Cascade Designs) pack towel for years. Mine is 11" X 24" and weighs one ounce. It dries very quickly, has a snap button hang loop on one corner (I hang it on my pack to dry it out) and it dries quickly (and doesn't just push the water around the way some of the quick dry pack towels do). I suspect the Nano is just the updated, lighter version of my towel. I've had mine for at least 6 years and it's still in good shape.

[rowan !]

I have the same MSR Pack Towel, but I cut mine in half, as it seemed unnecessarily large. It works ok, but like all synthetic towels, doesn't absorb water that well unless it's already thoroughly damp.

I've been experimenting with a square cut from an old cotton flannel pillow case, which seems to work better. The fabric is pretty worn, so it's thin and dries quickly.

[Derek M.]

Bill,
I have used two pack towels over the years that I would recommend. They are pictured below with a 20oz water bottle thrown in for scale:

The one on the left is an Aquis Adventures Microfiber Towel which measures in at 9" x 13" and is super plush. The one on the right is a Cascade Designs Packtowl (Original) that was cut in half. It measures in at about 17" x 17.5" and is much thinner than the Aquis Towel, but also lighter.

The Aquis weighs 35 grams (1.23 ounces):

The Packtowl weighs 23 grams (0.81 ounces):

Even though it's heavier I usually take the Aquis Adventures Microfiber towel because it just has a much nicer feel to it and is also a much more manageable size, IMO.

If it's really sunny, and I think that I will need to cover my neck during a trip, I will take the Original Packtowl because I can use it in conjunction with my hat to provide shade for my neck.

Both of the towels work well, but I honestly find that the Packtowl is unnecessarily large for most of my drying-off purposes.

I find that a smaller towel, wrung out more frequently, is a much better system for drying things off than a larger towel. It is also much easier to pack and much easier to wring out.

If I was you, I would go with a smaller packtowel than what you have been using. Try it out and see if it works for you. You don't need to buy anything too expensive. Those other "ultralight" Cascade Designs Packtowls suck in my opinion (they are not very absorbent), and to me seem just seem like a way for Cascade Designs to try and charge extra for something labelled as "ultralight."

You could always get an original weight Cascade Designs Packtowl and cut it into a much smaller square than what I've got. You could easily go with a 8" x 8" square, and that would only weigh in at about 6 grams (when it was dry at least).

I hope this was helpful. Good luck with your pack towel search!

[Billy Ray]

Thanks Derek,
I appreciate the work you put into that thorough response… helpful…
though it does lack the spice of ego and personal attack of the previous responders :)

Bill D

[James Couch]

REI has the Cascade Designs Packtowels on sale right now, 35% off.

[Corbin Camp]

I've been using light loads with a lot of success. Cheap, barely weigh anything, compact, absorbent and a durable enough. Will they last forever? no, but I've used them for everything from a filter, to wiping off condensation, to scrubbing dishes, to starting a fire.

[Billy Ray]

Thanks Corbin,
but I have not had great experience with light loads… they pretty much shred after a few days… plus, they're not all that light… I find I need two of them to dry off in any kind of reasonable time… at .5 oz each that's 2 x .5 = 1 oz… which is more than the .8 oz packtowls that are available…

why two towels? well.. when using cold water in a cold breeze I want to dry off as QUICK as possible to get warm again… one just doesn't cut it for me… even using two they are both shredded into fluff by the end of an 8 day trip… Personal choice, but I find the packtowels better for the job… more water absorption per unit weight and they hold up better…

thanks for your response… but it is an option that I've tried…

Bill D…

[Florian L]

This thread is long dead, but just for anyone reading this thread with the intent of finding an answer to a similar question: I would advise to stay clear of polyester towels. I think most of what is sold as ultra light backpacking towels is made of polyester. A am no expert on anti-odour treatments but the only backpacking towel I used was out of polyester with some anti-odour treatment, that lasted only a few years of occasional use. How do I know? Now that the treatment is gone, the otherwise perfectly fine towel is rubbish: No washing will kill the odour for more than a few uses. The original pack towel is a mixture of lots of viscose and a little bit of stinky polypropylene, I think. I would try this original one or something else that is not made of polyester, if I wanted to take a real towel with me. A thin cotton cloth doesn’t have this problem, but it’s a bit daring to call it a towel.

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